Jasper
"The people will decide nothing. They cannot decide for themselves. Why do you think religion exists? They must be told what to do!" ''-Jasper to Dufrane '''Jasper', also known as the Forgotten God, was the ruling deity of Rubidia and the head of the Rubidian Pantheon. After being trapped in an alternate dimension for four years, Jasper had finally returned to Rubidia, where he plotted to take over Sapphiria, who had been responsible for his imprisonment in the first place. The Mad God met his final end at the conclusion of the second Sapphiria/Rubidia War, putting to bed the bloody feud between nations. Biography The Birth of a God Jasper was there since the beginning, alongside the twins: Sapphirian and Cyndi. Of course, the twins became at the forefront of history, as the creator and the destroyer. Jasper was never remembered by anyone; he was never of any significance, and those who knew of him were quick to forget about him. In time, he began to forget about himself as well, not even remembering his true birth name. For how famous they were, Jasper began to resent them; for what was a god without his flock? Jasper had no followers to his name. He was nothing; just a footnote on the annuals of history, if even that. With the turn of every century, Jasper’s loathing grew into hatred. His hatred became so overpowering, amplified even further because of his godhood, that his psyche shattered into pieces. Fragmented into various forms, Jasper became ruled over by the variety of strong emotions that laid claim to his mind. By the time World War III had broken out, Jasper was already unstable; consumed by his own hatred and emotions. He had become bitter and broken, but still inside his godly husk came that nagging desire to hate. When Sapphirian formed Sapphiria from the destroyed remains of Earth’s civilizations, Jasper created Rubidia. Jasper immediately solidified himself as the patron deity of Rubidia, building the Red Isle from the remains of fractured civilizations like China and Rome. From these nations came new gods and goddesses, forming the Rubidian Pantheon. Though they were all powerful in their own right, they all came to fear Jasper because of his unpredictability; the very nature of his personality could snap in an instant, and he was a very powerful god that one would not want to piss off. Each deity acted in independence however; the nation had yet to be united, perhaps because Jasper had grown weak from forced the nation into existence. In time too, that would change. Rubidia became a war-like nation, as Jasper couldn’t stand the thought of being compassionate or kind. His own shattered personality made him a ruthless king and an unpredictable menace; Rubidia both suffered and flourished under his rule, depending on the current mood he was in. Regardless, Rubidia has shown great progress since its initial inception, with Jasper remaining at the helm of things. Five Gods of the Red Isle In time, Jasper would seek to expand his domain. Rubidia was not always as it was; there was much that remained barren and lifeless, and as much as he cared not to admit, his power was pointless without more subjects to rule over. His first venture took his to the far north of the nation, on the slopes of Mount Arokti. Long ago, there had been a deity imprisoned there by the old Roman Pantheon, for reasons yet to his understanding. The power within was still strong, however; Jasper thought it to be a waste to allow such a god to remain imprisoned there. With a mighty hand, Jasper destroyed the holy wards that trapped the god within, allowing him to break free. The mountain trembled and crumbled, allowing Albus to taste air once more. Times had long since changed since his imprisonment at the hands of his own kin; the Rome he knew had long since vanished. Jasper offered Albus a promise, however; with his help, they would rebuild Rome in the image of the old ways. Realizing that there was nothing else for him here, Albus reluctantly agreed. In time, Magna Roma would grow into what it is today; a mirror image of the Roman people, steeped in culture and war. In turn, Albus now commands a powerful military force, all loyal to Jasper. While some gods had yet to arrive to Rubidia, others had already begun to build their empires. Jasper turned his sights towards the Chinese. Spiraling towers of gold and rich asian culture already dotted the western lands; the Chinese who survived the Great War showed themselves to be rich and spoiled, having wealth that would make anyone else jealous. Jasper was envious; he did not enjoy that this wealth was not his, so he turned his eye towards the lands there and demanded change. The deity of the realm was an interesting sort; a serpent of greed as she was, she loved fortune of all kinds. Perhaps that was why China was so wealthy, as she was the one who wished it so. In exchange for spreading her wealth to the rest of Rubidia, Jasper promised power beyond measure; something that no one could refuse. Being as she was, Fucang Long was hesitant to part with even a fraction of her fortunes. Her people had benefited from it so much, and even she was full of greed. Though, connections were always desirable; Fucang Long would accept, marking the Gilded Lands as the third kingdom officially recognized in Rubidia. Lastly, Jasper turned his eyes to the domain of the dragons; the Land of Drakes was an isolated island just off the coast of Rubidia. Jasper had been aware of the island's recent appearance, having materialized almost overnight in the turbulent waters of the Pacific Ocean. Jasper saw the dragons as creatures of myth and mystery; he knew them to hold secrets, the sort of which that passed back generations. Normally, Jasper would desire no such thing; he was a being who had existed since the beginning of time, and knew all there was to know about life and death. Though, these dragons were not of this world, but rather from another. This left him with interest and curiosity. However, Jasper could never seen to approach the island properly, even with his godly powers. He felt a presence within that he could not explain, but it was powerful, perhaps more powerful than he was. Jasper did not wish to start wars so early, so he left the Land of Drakes be for the time. They would come to be recognized as a part of Rubidia regardless, due to proximity. Generations would pass as Jasper would stay on as the King of Rubidia, with none to challenge his position. He made sure that it would stay this way; dissenters were rooted out where they laid, publicly executed to ensure that others would not follow the same path. Though typically, such a display would have succeeded in dissuading others from challenging Jasper's self-imposed rule, none could truly do anything about it. Jasper was, and still is, an unpredictable deity with power beyond a mortal man's imagining. It was oppression without oppression, and benevolence without benevolence; such a thing might seem to be a paradox, but Jasper often fluctuated between various moods, making it all the more imperative for his people to appease him. Offerings were made daily, hoping not to incur the wrath of this being of power. The First War Centuries after Jasper formed Rubidia, he made plans for revenge. Long did his hatred stew inside of him, boiling over until he couldn’t take it anymore. More than anything, he wanted the twins to suffer for what they had done to him. It was their fault he was a shadow of his former self, it was all their fault. Jasper had believed it for so long that it was the only truth he now knew. Rallying his forces, especially the armies of Albus and Fucang Long, Rubidia invaded Sapphiria in what was known as the first Sapphiria/Rubidia War. Magna Roma invaded from the north and took on the Northarian Militia, while the Chinese attacked the deserts to the south. It was a two-pronged attack to test Sapphiria’s military prowess. Jasper had no intention of winning the war; he wanted to know their weaknesses. Though, he made it seem like Sapphiria had won. The Rubidian Armies caused little damage in their attacks, with casualties remaining minimal. After their initial assault, they retreated; Jasper allowed himself to be caught by Sapphirian. Knowing that the goddess was compassionate and would never kill him, Sapphirian imprisoned Jasper instead. His plan had worked flawlessly. Though now he had been locked away in some unknown dimension, Sapphiria had foolishly left Rubidia alone, thinking that with Jasper gone, they would no longer be a threat. Jasper remains imprisoned to this day, but once he returns to Rubidia, his forces will rain hell upon Sapphiria and destroy them for good. Black Room In the aftermath of the Sapphiria/Rubidia war, Jasper was imprisoned in an alternate dimension called the Black Room; it was a place locked out of time and space, purposefully used in eating away at divine powers. In the four years that Jasper was locked there, the room caused him to age rapidly, becoming but an old and frail man in a short amount of time. Though old, he was still immortal; this constantly put him into pain, that which he was forced to suffer. Perhaps it had not been Sapphirian’s intention to send him to this place, but it was as it was. Long after his original imprisonment, Jasper was visited by an interloper to the dimension, in the form of a woman. Calling herself Aelin, she offered Jasper freedom in exchange for his cooperation. Naturally, Jasper was in no condition to fight, so he could not resist. He still brought up the point of him killing her, should she release him back into Rubidia. Aelin had contingencies however, and promised that Jasper would be locked away again, with no chance of escaping. A small gem placed into his chest assured this; were he to ever betray her or lie, he would be forced back into the Black Room. With that, the dimensional wall was torn open and they were thrust back into Rubidia. There they stood at the cusp of Jasper’s shrine, located high atop Mount Arokti, in Magna Roma. Expecting now that they were allied, Aelin granted Jasper with a sigil, promising aid if he were to return it. Jasper was much more focused on his own desires, more-so crushing the goddess who had imprisoned him. With that, he now rallies his pantheon and plots to overtake Sapphiria. A March to War Months had passed since Jasper had been freed from the Black Room; much to his disappointment, the dimension's effects still wore on, leaving him weakened and frail. Regardless, he intended to leave a lasting message with Sapphirian. Thus had come the annual divine council; a yearly meeting where all the gods and goddesses of the Sherwood Isles would meet and discuss the condition of their world. Due to unforeseen circumstances or by his own hand, Jasper and Albus were the only deities from Rubidia to attend. It appeared that none of Sapphiria's deities were in attendance either, leaving only Sapphirian and the archangel Kanya. Jasper was still in a weakened state by then, showing his frail body before the council. Though it was clear that his rather unpredictable personality was somewhat diminished in his weakness, Jasper had less than peaceful intentions. Sapphirian warned him, however; Heaven was only to be their place of meeting, and the angels left sentries about that would deal with any acts of aggression. Jasper thus refrained from any violent action; rather, he promised it. He only came with an offer for discussion; Sapphiria's surrender. Sapphirian refused, telling Jasper that he did not understand their differences and should just leave them be. Albus grew irritated with Sapphirian's refusal, though Jasper merely agreed and decided to depart. Though, he did not leave without a warning; he would give them five months to prepare, before Rubidia would invade Sapphiria once again. Only this time, he would not surrender so easily. Jasper and Albus departed from the council chambers, in order to make preparations for the coming war. They had already placed many of the pieces four years ago; now, there would be no stopping Jasper and his ultimate designs from seeing fruition. The Black Knight Sometime after, preparations continued well into the winter months. At some point between his return and the months after, Jasper hired the Corpus Diaboli; a group of highly trained half-demon mercenaries who work for the highest bidder. Each of them had their own specializations, and with the vast wealth of Gilded China, Jasper was easily able to persuade them into acts of sabotage and espionage. With this mercenary group beginning their operations elsewhere, Jasper decided that he was not satisfied with simply just them; he would seek other ways to weaken Sapphiria before the war was supposed to begin. His omniscience brought him elsewhere, to a quaint little village on the outskirts of Sapphiria's Imperial Capital. A scene had played itself out; a warrior who called himself Z faced down against an enigmatic being called the Black Knight. Try as he may, Z could not stop the Black Knight from destroying the village, and killing his lover in the promise. Stricken with grief, Z was easily corrupted by Jasper, who convinced the man to join him. Jasper manipulated Z, turning his grief into rage, and promising him his lover back if he accomplished one task; killing Sapphirian. Z set off to the Imperial Capital immediately, hoping to put a swift end to the goddess. Even with his power, such a task proved impossible, for it was not strength that defeated the corrupted warrior, but words. Sapphirian convinced Z that Jasper had deceived him, and had no intention of resurrecting his dead lover. Z had always known this, but attributed his own grief to the reason why he undertook the mission anyhow. Though one of the Corpus Diaboli would attempt to assassinate Z, they would not follow through; leaving Jasper's plans for Z foiled in their entirety. Jasper had little faith in the man actually succeeding; whether or not he actually killed the goddess would not have mattered. Jasper turned his attention elsewhere, steadily building towards events that would play out over the next few months. Days later, he would be approached but yet another newcomer to Rubidia; a beast woman who called herself Sam. Her intentions were left vague, though she wished to show fealty to the reigning deity of Rubidia. Jasper showed initial skepticism, as most were afraid to even outright approach him. Though, he knew that in his current state, he would not be able to do much by himself. He accepted Sam's aide, sending her off to coordinate with the Corpus Diaboli. Whether or not she would prove to be a valuable asset, Jasper had yet to determine; in his mind, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. His ultimate goal inched that much closer. Renewal With Sam in tow, the Corpus Diaboli invaded a seemingly inconspicuous frontier town in the middle of the Northarian Kingdom. Sam was opposed by Zack, who had pledged his service to Sapphirian. While the two clashed above, the Corpus Diaboli infiltrated a military base underneath the village. This operation had a two-fold goal; while Sam ran distractions above, Helman and his crew stole sensitive information from the base. An hour passed before the Corpus Diaboli got out, and Jasper recalled Sam from her mission. Not long after, Sam would return to Eisenclast with the second objective; a volunteer. Jasper had long since been weakened by his time in the Black Room, but it was a state he was familiar with already. Given the nature of his powers and the pure entropy of them, Jasper had to constantly sustain himself. With a not-so-willing sacrifice, Jasper had that opportunity. The old and frail god crumbled to his knees before this captive, who was pinned to the floor by Sam. With his hand, Jasper literally sucked the life away from him; the once young captive was turned old and frail, with Jasper regaining his lost youth. Rather than order the man's immediate execution, Jasper felt generous; he ordered Sam to reward him, as the man had sacrificed his age in service to Rubidia. With his age restored and his powers growing, Jasper has now escalated up his efforts against Sapphiria. A Midnight Meeting A rather unique evening brought forth a chance meeting between two powerful forces in the Isles. Of all people, it was Cyndi that approached Jasper late into the night, in order to plead with him to cease his useless feud with Sapphirian. Being a stubborn man who stuck to his principles, Jasper was quick to refuse such a notion. Words were exchanged; toxic words, where Jasper was so gleeful to remind Cyndi of the role she had once played in the world's downfall, and how the people would never trust her. His intent had seemed to be that he wished to psychologically damage her, but it seemed to have no effect on the goddess. Rather than linger with who she considered to be a fool, Cyndi soon left after she realized that it would be impossible to reason with an unreasonable man. The Sapphirian Campaign: The War Begins At this point, the five months were soon coming to a close. Jasper had seen Cyndi's visit as an act of war, and was soon driven to action. The first attack was swift and deadly; Sima Cao would soon find itself under attack from one of Jasper's Black Ships, or massive airships powered through magitek. The outer rim of the city was immediately bombarded with explosive shells, and the population was instantly ravaged under the deadly assault. While the black ships and Crimsonhead soldiers attacked the city outside, Jasper had other plans. Alongside Helman, the two managed to slay most of the royal guard inside the castle, before confronting the goddess herself. Helman departed and left Jasper with a showdown between himself and the goddess; the fight was brief but it ended how Jasper had intended it to. Using his unique power, Jasper was able to sap away Sapphirian's power, leaving her in a much more weakened state. With his primary goal complete, Jasper fled the battlefield; most Crimsonhead soldiers disappeared into the rising smoke, leaving much of Sima Cao a smoldering ruin. Days after the battle, Jasper was next seen back in his throne room, meeting with several of his fellow gods. Jasper fiddled with a small vial, holding some sort of white essence; what the essence was, was left ultimately unknown as Jasper never saw to brought it up. The meeting mostly consisted on the topic of war, and how the tide of battle would continue from there forth. Due to Jasper's meddling in the first attack, it was known that Sapphirian had abandoned the throne and replaced her place as empress to her sister. The thought seemed to humor his colleagues, but Jasper knew better than to underestimate his opponents. Rather than press the offensive, Jasper instead decided to tell his allies to hold off and wait to see how Sapphiria would react. Little did Jasper know, their counterattack occurred sooner than he had expected. Though Jasper would survive his ordeal against the powerful Hawk, it became immediately apparent that she held no loyalty to either side, and quickly lost interest in the fight after another man distracted her. That proved to not be the end of his problems however; as the days passed, Jasper saw fit to rebuild his castle after the hectic battle with Hawk. Much to his dismay, Jasper soon learned that one of his colleagues had completely ignored his orders; Albus had urged the attack on Sapphiria, in a battle that led to failure because of third-party meddling. Following the ultimate resolution of said battle, Albus was set before the Red Lord; Jasper was quick to remind Albus of his failure, telling him how the battle would not have gone any other way. Albus snapped back and told Jasper that he was the real failure, seeing how he rarely left his throne room and allowed his enemies to rally against him. This immediately set Jasper off, as he forced Albus to his knees and reminded him of who he served. This quickly escalated into a battle, albeit a one-sided one; Albus attempted to throw himself at Jasper, but the Roman God found himself on his back within seconds. Annoyed by the gall of Albus' attempt to attack him, Jasper told Albus and reminded him how it was Jasper who had saved Albus from his prison, and it was Jasper who had helped him forge Magna Roma in the new world. With his pride wounded, Albus left the castle; assuredly, Jasper had just lost his support of the Roman God, but he did not care. However, prying eyes saw an opportunity. The night following Jasper's confrontation with Albus, Jasper would experience a confrontation of a different nature. It was the dark sister Cyndi who approached his castle, likely to avenge the wrongdoings placed upon her sister during the siege of Sima Cao. Though her initial approach had been under disguise, she saw fit to gain the upper hand and toss Jasper through his own throne room doors. The dark goddess shed her disguise, instantly sent into a berserk rage, unable to cope with the fact that someone was threatening her kingdom. All the while, Jasper mocked the goddess, attempting to further enrage her to the fact that she had failed her people. Cyndi did some mocking of her own, fully embracing her sadistic personality and darker self. It was a self she had not exposed since the Great War, when she was still the villain. The two came at blows as equals, forced to go to great lengths to overcome their opponent. Cyndi eventually fully gave in to her dark powers, manifesting as an intangible darkness immune to physical contact. Jasper had anticipated this, as he had done plenty of research on the goddesses over the years. The fight would see its conclusion after Jasper turned high-intensity spotlights on the goddess, forcing her back into a tangible, weakened state. Cyndi fled, but not before promising Jasper that he would inevitably lose the war. Following another attack on another capital city, Jasper saw fit to reward his allies with celebration; a large festival was held within Alestios, allowing everyone to enjoy themselves and forget about the war for once. One of Jasper's associates, Helman, had approached with a shivering figure. He was nervous, that much was clear. His reason for approach seemed to point to events prior, mainly the Red Army offensive against Northaria. The Corpus Diaboli had been present but Helman felt that their usefulness was waning, due to being forced up against gods and super powered humans. Helman then asked for a raise; it was a notion that Jasper immediately laughed off, before threatening the man to accept his current rate. Helman sheepishly did so, and left, only for another presence to arrive minutes later. Interestingly enough, it was a being who dropped from the sky and smashed through Jasper's throne room, breaking a hole in the ceiling. Naturally, Jasper was a bit irate at the sudden appearance of another presence, but with this, he saw opportunity. The armored man introduced himself as Carnifex, a wandering mercenary for hire. Carnifex had been looking for work, and Jasper had just the thing in mind. His scouts informed him of a powerful informant residing in Sapphiria, and the Red Lord wanted that informant on his side. Carnifex was promised great wealth if he complied, and he readily did so. After Carnifex departed, Jasper was finally given time to relax. Though, future plans still stirred within him. He had grown tired of the constant back and forth between the nations, and wished to end things finally. Likewise, he saw fit to give Albus and his ilk another chance, still believing them to be useful. Thus entered Ozark. With Ozark busy on errands, Jasper had been surprised that Carnifex returned; even more so with his task completed. The Lady Dufrane had been delivered, as per their agreement; Jasper mentioned how he normally didn't follow through with mercenary contracts, given that he had little reason to trust private contractors. Nevertheless, Jasper paid in full; a case full of gold was offered to Carnifex. The two would walk a while, with Carnifex expressing interest in staying in the city a while longer. While he was open to further business, Carnifex had mostly stated that with his sailor crew in tow, he would likely drift from kingdom to kingdom, seeking variety in his contracts. Jasper accepted such a notion, believing adventure to be a core tenet of any wanderer. Following Carnifex's departure, Jasper changed his tune when seeking to interrogate their new captive. Dufrane had been transported into the dungeons below Castle Mammon; a deep and dark cellar where it was always cold. Dufrane was unconscious or asleep, or merely not paying attention. Whatever the case was, Jasper awoke her with a splash of cold water. The two exchanged words, with Jasper remaining civil for the most part; he only cared about information, and nothing more. He had his suspicions that the woman had been spying on him for quite some time, and she seemed to not deny it. She would ultimately refuse, which forced Jasper to give an ultimatum; he knew about her network, and promised to hunt down and kill her girls unless she cooperated. Dufrane, either calling his bluff or merely being one step ahead, stated that her girls were already safe and away from harm. Given her continued lack of participation, Jasper threw a fit and shattered a wooden bucket across her jail cell. Seeing that she would come forth with no information, he promised her that she would rot. In his words; "The war will continue and when Sapphiria is left destroyed by my hand, you will still be in this cell, in the darkness, wondering what happened." The Sapphirian Campaign: Siege of Versailles What happened to Jasper after interrogating Dufrane is largely unknown, though he appeared days later in Versailles, the Eastern Capital. Accompanied by Helman, the two managed to intercept Albus after his victory in claiming the city. Jasper congratulated Albus in doing so, though expressed his doubts that he was capable of it. Though Albus seemed to be on his way out, Jasper insisted that they greet Eastern hospitality with open arms. After all, it was their city now. Though, he was quick to correct himself by saying it was his city. Jasper, Helman and Albus entered the palace, accompanied by Albus' Praetorian Guard. Within the throne room was the Queen of the East, Jacquie Marie Antoinette. She was friendly and hospitable, as the Eastarians were known to be, and Jasper even entertained this by acting friendly in kind. He amicably offered them an ultimatum; surrender the East to Rubidia, or there would be dire consequences. When Jacquie refused, Jasper quickly dropped his kind facade and began choking the small queen. Much to his shock, Jasper soon found his arm cut off by a familiar spear. It belonged to Albus. Jasper yelled in pain as his arm bled, severed from the elbow down. He cursed himself for not having the foresight to see this betrayal coming, and not dealing with Albus sooner. With Jacquie freed from Albus' grasp, she was quick to trigger the alarms, causing the room to flood with Eastern soldiers. Jasper seemed completely ignorant to the soldiers surrounding him, instead focused on dealing with the traitor to his country. With his good arm, he quickly belted out a violent blast of wind that sent Albus and his guard flying out the front gates. The residual shockwave from his attack knocked everyone else on their collective asses; as Jasper gave chase, Helman promptly threw out some gas grenades, hoping to kill any of the Eastarians who might interfere. Fortunately for them, they had other plans. Jasper and Albus commenced their duel in the courtyard, with Albus getting off a cheap shot by breaking Jasper's nose with his shield. Jasper could only laugh in response, saying how Sapphiria's ruin would be justice for what they did to Rubidia. Using a powerful gust of wind, Jasper collapsed part of the roof of the palace, preventing Albus from receiving potential reinforcements from the Eastern forces. Their fight continued interrupted, with Jasper inevitably proving to be far too fast for Albus. Jasper used a technique similar to what he had used against Cyndi, during their fight at Castle Mammon. Jasper was able to outpace Albus, who had no other choice but to use his shield in a defensive offense. Eventually tiring of their battle, Jasper decided to wind slash at Albus' exposed shins, breaking his legs in the process. Unable to stand, Albus struggled to even kneel with Jasper now looming over him. Albus expressed that in his death, he would finally be free of Jasper's machinations. Jasper promptly grabbed the Roman God's face, sucking the life from him until he was a withered husk. Jasper reminded a now deceased Albus that although free, he was also dead. Having dealt with the traitor, Jasper decided to give the East their meaningless victory, and knew that the Romans would likely flee without their leader. Jasper commanded Helman to gather his fellow agents, believing that a final battle was looming. With a powerful updraft of wind, Jasper fled the scene. The Sapphirian Campaign: Endgame The winds of change came to a head as participants stepped onto the final battlefield. The setting was the plains beneath Rubidia's capital city. The Crimsonhead Army marched, meeting the Joint Sapphirian Forces for one, final climactic duel to end all duels. It became quickly apparent that Sapphirian had not even taken to the field yet, so Jasper instead decided to confront her sister first. Cyndi and Jasper had come to blows several times during the course of the war, and although Jasper did hold some degree of disdain for Cyndi, he hated her sister more so. As the armies clashed around them, the two deities came to blows until Sapphirian arrived with reinforcements, including the Northern Raiders and the Boyband. Once Sapphirian showed herself, Jasper was quick to toss Cyndi aside, showing that he had been toying with her throughout their entire fight. Then, the battle between bitter enemies began in earnest. Concurrently with Sapphirian's appearance, one of her allies was slain in a fantastic explosion of light, with their weapon thrown towards Jasper. The Mad God knew this was going to happen, and caught it, extracting the northern war god's final dregs of essence before snapping the stave in half. Even further empowered, the two rulers did battle, which would decide the fate of the Isles. Many razor winds were slung, and light bolts shot, as the weather grew worse and worse around them. Tornadoes touched down, ravaging the outer areas of the battlefield. The lightning turned red, snapping down to the ground at random intervals. Black clouds covered the skies, setting the stage for a final, climactic duel. The death of her ally seemed to send Sapphirian into a blind fury, and the battle raged on. Even with brief interference from another one of her allies, Jasper kept on the offensive up until Sapphirian started thinking tactically. By unleashing a blinding artificial sun, Sapphirian put Jasper on the defense. With nowhere to run, Jasper instead flew upwards, with both Sapphirian and Holy Diver, captain of the Northern Raiders, giving chase. They were now up in the clouds, near the capital city of Eisenclast. He gave a humorous speech to Sapphirian, chastising her for her oppressive moral values, and noted that he had heard of Holy Diver before, and lamented that she had not died on their trip to Rubidia. He dropped out of sight then, only to blast the two from behind, launching them into the floating island. To their surprise, the bottom of Eisenclast was hollow, with a strange lab inside. Jasper joined them shortly after, only to explain that the lab housed an ancient magic which allowed the city to levitate. He was quick to smash the object that sustained this magic, intentionally causing the city to begin to plummet. He was nice enough to tell his guests that they all had five minutes, or they would drown. Thus, the stage was set for the final battle. Sapphirian, Holy Diver and Jasper all squared off, forced to battle in a small room. Sapphirian used her light magic, displacing the room so it was frozen in the air, leaving the rest of the island to fall beneath them. The three figures conducted a vicious three-way fight, with no sides giving any mercy. Jasper utilized his knowledge of the room to his advantage, igniting volatile fuel lines of magic to cause the room to erupt in a series of explosions. Said explosions had briefly put Sapphirian and Holy Diver on the defensive, and destroyed the magic wards that Sapphirian had set up. Now, they were plummeting yet again, racing towards the ground. In this moment, Sapphirian seemed to have a change of heart and tried to plead to Jasper to surrender, so they could live peacefully. Jasper took it as a joke at first, but she seemed sincere. He decided to approach her and let her stand, almost seeming like he would take her offer. Of course, that was a blatant lie, and he impaled her through the stomach with his hand instead. He openly mocked her for ever thinking such a thing would work. In an intense fit of rage, Holy Diver decided that enough was enough. Manifesting hard light projections from her spear, she managed to overcome Jasper's speed and stab him multiple times, before launching herself away into the air. This seemed to be well timed, as they hit the ground soon after. Eisenclast crashed into Lake Misos, sending a tidal wave across the plains that swept up any soldiers who failed to retreat. The arena they were on cracked in half upon Castle Mammon, sending Jasper tumbling into the courtyard. Sapphirian seemed to survive the impact as well, as she stepped out with her broken scepter in hand. She intended to preform some kind of final attack, but Jasper would fight until his last breath. He took swings at the goddess, swiping his entire arm as if it were a blade. Despite his attempts, Sapphirian managed to pull off her strike and strip Jasper of his godhood, forcing his essence into four objects which were scattered to the winds. Jasper realized that Sapphirian intended to spare him, even after all the death and despair he had caused. He couldn't help but laugh at how foolish she was. Holy Diver didn't share Sapphirian's views, however. In a defiant last move, the Diver plunged from her spot in the clouds, and speared Jasper through the heart at terminal velocity. In his dying breath, he couldn't help but continue to laugh. He was quick to remind Sapphirian that now, they both had blood on their hands. He quickly succumbed to his injuries and fell limp against Holy Diver's spear, and with him ended the ambitions of the Mad God. With a twist of her spear, Holy Diver turned Jasper's corpse to ashes. After Holy Diver and Sapphirian had parted with bitter words, a mysterious third party appeared to collect Jasper's ashes. Ultimately, the fate of Rubidia was left uncertain. Would Jasper's words come true? What would happen if someone even worse than him ended up in power? Appearance Jasper appears as an older man: muscular, grizzled and hardy, barely into his 50’s, with pale skin. He has lengthy, thick brunette hair, which flows all the way down to his shoulders. Thick brows and a light beard cover his face, accenting his powerful yellow eyes, which often glow with the godly fury he possesses. Jasper often wears a slick, deep crimson coat that reaches down to his ankles; the coat is embroidered with various designs, with padded shoulders trimmed with gold. Though capable of being closed, Jasper always keeps his coat open, exposing his discolored torso below. Most notable is his belt, which is multi-layered with thick, red straps that cover the entirety of his waist. A jaw-less face is depicted on the front, oozing forth blood from the mouth hole. Jasper's left arm is missing from the elbow down, due to being severed by Albus during their fight in Versailles. Personality Due to his broken psyche, Jasper’s personality is inconsistent; while normally harsh and hateful of those around him, he has been known to suffer from extreme and frequent mood swings. Despite this, he does actively try to conduct himself in a polite manner, normally when tending to important business between his colleagues and constituents. He has little patience of people who ask things of him, and is prone to intense fits of anger when pressed too much. He is a warmonger, staking territories in whatever available lands he can find. Those who do not submit to his rule are often crushed swiftly. He strongly believes in his own motto, thinking that the world will only stand a chance if the weak are destroyed. He holds a special hatred in his heart towards Sapphirian and Cyndi, though to a smaller degree for the latter. Abilities As the main deity of the Rubidian Pantheon, Jasper's powers fall into three specific subsets; aeromancy, essence vampirism and dimensional shifting. Jasper is able to utilize the air particles around him, and uses them in various ways. By swiping his arm across the air, he can create razor winds that are sharp and able to cut with relative ease. Palm thrusts allow him to produce wind blasts, which he can create heavy gusts that cause immense destruction. Also with his wind powers, he is capable of limited flight. With his essence vampirism, Jasper can leech life essence away from any target, but only if his hand is connected to their face. This process can kill if prolonged long enough, turning Jasper's victims into withered husks. Lastly, Jasper uses something called a dimension shift. He is allowed to "blip" in and out of current space, rapidly shifting between the physical world and a pocket dimension, making it seem like he can move much faster than he normally can. After powering up fully, by absorbing the essence of several gods, Jasper was able to manipulate the weather as well. Relationships Sapphirian As he considers Sapphirian to be the cause of his loss of identity, Jasper feels bitter contempt and jealousy, in varying degrees. One of the reasons that Rubidia had been founded was because of the intense envy he felt for Sapphirian. This envy and contempt eventually sparked the first Sapphiria/Rubidia War. On a personal level, Jasper feels that Sapphirian's compassion is a weakness, and one that will eventually cause her to lose her country, be it by Jasper's hand or another. In person, Jasper tolerates Sapphirian's presence, but he makes his hatred painfully obvious. Albus Having rescued Albus from beneath Mount Arokti, it was Jasper who offered the Roman God a place in his kingdom. Speaking fanciful tales of how they were alike, Jasper sympathized with Albus, as he knew what it was like being forgotten and abandoned. In reality, Jasper sees Albus as little more than a means to an end. He values the Roman God's military strength and considers them integral in the development of Rubidia; to the same end, Jasper has been known to manipulate Albus, twisting his sense of justice and using him like an attack dog to threaten or destroy anyone who evokes Jasper's ire. Most recently, their relationship has become strained, now that Albus is aware of Jasper's true feelings towards him. This strain was broken entirely after Jasper killed Albus during the Siege of Versailles. Ozark As Jasper's top general, the two beings share an interesting relationship. Ozark represents Jasper's most loyal subject, the one entity that has provided and delivered upon everything he has ever asked for. It is to that end that Jasper genuinely considered Ozark to be a friend, despite the former's lack of compassion in most situations. Presumedly, Jasper values Ozark so much to the point that he refuses to send the general out unless absolutely necessary. That, or he holds Ozark back as a trump card, ready and waiting to be unleashed upon his enemies. Ozark doesn't seem to mind this; they revel in battle and wish nothing more than to serve the will of the master.Category:Rubidian Empire Category:Rubidian Pantheon Category:Characters Category:Native Category:Deceased